Field of the Embodiments of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to navigation systems and, more specifically, to an eye-gaze enabled navigation system.
Description of the Related Art
A conventional navigation system is capable of generating a sequence of driving instructions for directing the driver of a vehicle from a current location to a final destination. The driver follows each driving direction in the sequence by causing the vehicle to perform a specific navigation action, as dictated by the navigation system. For example, a given driving direction may specify that a left turn is required 500 feet ahead. In response, the driver would cause the vehicle to turn left after travelling 500 feet. Once a given driving direction has been successfully followed, the navigation system proceeds to the next driving direction in the sequence. This pattern of operation continues until the vehicle arrives at the final destination.
The basic functionality described above can be effective, provided that the driver interprets each direction correctly. However, various factors often contribute to the driver misinterpreting the driving directions. For example, driving directions that rely on measures of distance (such as in the above example) sometimes cannot easily be interpreted because drivers are not usually aware of the exact distances that vehicles travel in a given period of time. Furthermore, drivers are usually preoccupied with the physical act of driving and may not be able to spare the attention required for interpreting complex driving directions. Due to these factors, drivers that rely on conventional navigation systems sometimes become confused and, consequently, become lost.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a more effective technique for navigating a vehicle.